


down to the end with you

by anxiouswerewolf



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Politics, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Bi!Eliza, F/F, Governor!Eliza, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Intern!Maria, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2018-12-18 13:17:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11875308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anxiouswerewolf/pseuds/anxiouswerewolf
Summary: It's the classic story, the politician and the pretty young intern. But the politician has never been a woman before, and it never starts with wanting to do a good deed like this.





	1. something wrong with our new house

Eliza turned her phone over in her hand, never quite letting it touch her desk but having it swing a sliver above. The lock screen was filled with messages from her husband, his full name listed above each one. His contact name had been the same for some time.

She knew not how long she had been transfixed before a sound brought her out of rapture with a jolt, dropping her phone on the desk in the process. Eliza’s eyes became clear and she saw a young woman standing in the doorway, eyes wide with fear.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean to startle—”

“Shh, it’s fine. It was my fault.” Eliza slipped her phone back into her desk, where she wouldn’t be distracted by it. “What time is it?”

“Ten-thirty, ma’am.”

“What are you still doing here?” Eliza asked, more maternally concerned than annoyed. “You should be at home.”

“No ma’am, I don’t go home until after everyone else. I wait until they leave and then I clean up after them, even the janitors.”

“That’s absurd, who is forcing you to do that?”

“Nobody, ma’am. I like doing it.”

Eliza’s back went rigid, a subconscious reaction to the girl’s nonchalance. “Sit down for a second, I want to talk to you.”

“Have I done something wrong, ma’am?”

“No, I just want to talk.”

The intern walked deliberately but with a miniscule quiver to her lip and shake to her palm. When she sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk she folded her hands in her lap and tucked her legs under the chair, making herself seem small in the eyes of the governor. She was pretty in a way that Eliza remembered from her own youth, before anxiety and childbirth left their marks on her flesh and countenance. The intern reminded her of when she was young and naïve and fell for a shy young man who hid behind his one skill of writing. She saw herself in those dark, scared eyes.

“What’s your name, dear?”

“Maria Reynolds, ma’am.”

“You can drop the ma’am, Miss Maria Reynolds.”

“Oh, I’ve never done anything to deserve a Miss in front of my name, ma’am.”

“If you want to continue using formalities, be my guest. As long as you call me ma’am I will call you Miss Reynolds.”

“I just wanted to be polite, ma’—”

“Shh. After sundown we’re all equals. What brings you here?”

“My professors at Columbia helped me find this internship after I graduated.”

“Do you have any wish to go into politics?”

“Not for myself. I’m afraid I don’t speak well enough to be suited for such things, but I like the theory quite a bit.”

“Columbia, you said? You must be a bright girl.”

“Top of my class.”

“What is the smartest intern I have doing willingly picking up trash in the middle of the night?”

“There’s nothing waiting for me at home. I like spending time here.”

Eliza rocked back and forward once in her chair before putting her arms on the table, hands clasped and fingers interlocked. “I assume you don’t use this job as an excuse to steal from me or my other workers?”

“No, ma’am, I would never!” The fear in Maria’s voice was palpable, the way it warbled in her throat. It was not the fear of someone whose wicked plan had been found out, but one terrified that they were about to be punished for a crime they had never contemplated.

“Why don’t you want to go home?”

“I don’t like it there.”

“Do you have any children?”

“No ma’am.”

“Pets?”

“No ma’am.”

“A husband?”

At this Maria twitched, her body convulsing inwards for as long as it took to blink, but Eliza’s eyes were wide open. She saw Maria’s chest rise and fall more rapidly now, and if she imagined hard enough she could feel the rabbit-leg thump of her intern’s heartbeat through the desk that separated them. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Does he not treat you well?”

“He treats me perfectly fine, ma’am. I think I better be going now.”

“Stop.” Maria had pushed up from the chair and was about to turn around, but she froze when the governor spoke. “You must never tell another soul, but I’ve been where you have, and there’s a reason I’m here so late tonight.”

Maria let herself fall away, collapsing into a mess of shuddering tears. “Please, please, he can’t find out or he’ll kill me, he told me he will.”

Eliza leapt from her desk and came around to embrace the girl, try to wrap her in maternal love and give her some of what she had been deprived. Maria’s sobs increased when she found her comfort, as if only now would she allow herself to release the true amount of her pain.

“What’s his name?”

“Mister James Reynolds.”

“I won’t let him hurt you again.”

“Please, no, you’ll only make it worse. Everyone’s tried and it just becomes worse.”

Eliza broke her embrace and grasped the girl by the shoulders to look her in those dark, scared eyes. “New York is my state. You are my employee. I have power here and I’m going to use it to make a damn difference around here. He will never hurt you again.” In her mind she was compiling all the ways that would terrify him into avoiding his wife for the rest of his pitiful days. “Just you wait.”  
Maria nodded and wrapped her arms around Eliza again, burying her face in the crook of her employer’s neck and whimpering.

“My husband is upstate with our children. Do you wish to stay with me tonight?”

“No ma’am, I couldn’t, that would be unfair to you.”

“I insist.”

“I’m not worth it.”

Eliza tensed at the statement, wanted to scream at the younger girl, but she knew that could never make her unlearn. “At least let me pay for you to have a hotel room tonight.”

“That’s very kind of you, but I would have to go home anyway to fetch my things, and my husband… he would be suspicious of me leaving.”

“If you insist.”

Maria embraced Eliza once more before leaving without a word, skittish and shy like a barn cat that the farmers forget even roams these parts. Eliza sat back down at her desk and looked at her computer, the unread emails and unstricken to-dos. She had so much work to do.


	2. grab hold of one long, sharp tooth and hold on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For purposes of this story, let's pretend the New York capital is NYC and not Albany.

There are sentences so preposterous that hearing them aloud renders one incapable of anything besides laughter so hearty it shakes the roofs. An example of this in action would be when James Reynolds was told by his manager, “Mr. Reynolds, the governor of New York is here to see you.”

“Funny way to send me on my break, Fred,” he said without looking, tossing his name badge over his shoulder so that it landed behind the counter. He walked through the aisles, checking a customer in the shoulder for standing too much in his way, and threw both doors to the break room open. He made the right turn to his locker, pulled out a pack of Marlboros from the back, and stuck an unlit cigarette in his teeth before he turned around and noticed there was a visitor in the chair.

He had seen her face before, on television and in the papers, but she had looked different then. She had tempered her image, as all women had to do if they wanted to achieve power, become more maternal and welcoming instead of a threat to male power. She relinquished that here and sat with her shoulders back and her back straight. Her eyes were locked on James the way that a raptor paralyzes its prey with a stare. Most frightening to James was that she was alone; should anything occur she would be the one to defend herself, tooth and nail and stiletto heel. She stood up in one fluid movement, keeping the rigidity of her body and leaving her hands at her sides. “I would recommend you remove that from your mouth before you speak.”

“I don’t smoke here, if that’s what you’re here to bitch about.” James took the cigarette out of his mouth and tossed it in the trash can next to where Eliza stood. “Are our tax dollars going to the cig police now? Is that what this is.”

“I would further recommend that you comply so that I may leave and you may return to your job.” She did not narrow her eyes, puff out her chest, or bare her teeth in any other masculine display of dominance, only maintained the cool confidence she had possessed this whole time, and that was enough to unsettle him.

“Why are you here, anyway, and how do you know who I am?”

“James Reynolds. You graduated from Fort George High School five years ago and took a job as a mechanic just outside of Manhattan before you were injured when a car you were repairing fell on you. Ever since then you have bounced between several convenience store jobs. Sometime before your injury you married a Columbia student by the name of Maria Lewis, with whom you attended high school. Before and after your injury, you would verbally berate your wife and physically assault her behind closed doors.”

“Why do you care? What happens behind closed doors ain’t your business.”

“Miss Maria Lewis is a citizen of the state of New York. More than that, she is under my employ. Regardless of the other two certainties, she is a woman and a human and she did not consent for you to lay a hand on her. That should be reason enough for me to intercede.”

“Yeah, well it’s her word against mine in a court of law, lady.”

“I am sure that testimony from a person in a position of power would tip the scales of justice in your wife’s favor, Mister Reynolds, but if you wish to play this game I can certainly entertain you.” She picked up a manila folder from the break room dinner table and pressed it into James’ chest. He didn’t bother to look through it, only rub his thumb over the edges and glare at Eliza, trying to flash his canine teeth and scare her into submission. He did not even blink at his pathetic display. “You are in possession of not one, but two illegal firearms and have been committing tax fraud for as long as you have been around to pay taxes. I also couldn’t help but notice a pickup truck in the parking lot on the way in with plates that match yours, even though your license has been suspended for failure to pay several speeding and reckless driving tickets.”

“Damn cunt.” James tossed the folder back at Eliza, who made no effort to catch it in the air and instead let it fall at her feet, papers spread across the floor of the break room. She took a few long steps forward until she was close enough to touch him. In her heels, she was taller than James, and he aided her by slouching.

“If you wish to protest any one of the allegations brought against you, we will bring all of them to the table. If you would rather we dropped the whole matter, I would pack your bags and cross the Hudson tonight. There are plenty of convenience stores and auto shops that would be thrilled to hire someone without a criminal record.”

Eliza turned in one motion, spinning on her heel and walking the few steps to the break room door. She placed her hand on the door but turned over her shoulder before opening it. “You might want to clean up those papers before you head on your smoke break. We wouldn’t want Fred finding something unsavory.” She swept her foot to brush one of the papers back into the rest of the stack, opened the door, and left the room.

As she walked through the convenience store, employees and customers alike turned to gawk at the famed governor, but she fixed her eyes on the path to the door and the car in the parking lot, so close to the beat-up truck with James Reynolds’ plates. After taking the evidence against him out back to burn, James’ coworkers would ask him what the governor of New York would want with a simple clerk. He growled and muttered, “She wanted to know where I was going tonight. Now piss off.”


	3. my broken house behind me and good things ahead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone on my floor is at a music festival I wasn't excited about so I'm sitting in my dorm, eating chocolate, listening to showtunes, and writing fic. It's a pretty good deal.

The next day, Eliza expected to hear from Maria right away. She had no meetings that day and had planned to work as much as possible on things with far-off deadlines, nothing so important she would have to shoo anyone away. Yet she never saw her intern during the normal work day, not even when she took breaks to walk the office and the block, stretch her legs and clear her mind of the cacophony inside. She wondered what Maria was feeling, what her husband was doing, how far away from Manhattan James had gotten last night, and every other quandary she had to deal with, personal and political. On any other day, she would have powered through and forced herself to be productive, but today nothing could stop her rabid thinking.

Eliza’s time-killing habits were erratic, for most of the time she did not “kill time”. She was constantly thinking, constantly working, a perpetual motion machine. If she had to wait for one bit of work to be completed, she would fill in the gaps with another project she had her eye on. It was efficient, and if she were the type of person inclined to spending time with her family it would have been a way of working conducive towards going home early to see her family. As it stood, she still worked late into the night; rather than do a normal workload with time to go home and relax, she preferred to do one and a half times the amount as any other person in her position in the same amount of time.

It should be noted that Eliza wanted to do work, but she found herself incapable of focusing enough to do something productive, so most of the day was spent opening a Word document or an email, staring at it for a prolonged period of time while her mind wandered, and then closing it when she realized that this was not productive. Then she would do it again with another tab, another document, another email, another voicemail. By the time five o’clock came around she had done absolutely nothing.

As workers began to file out of the building for the day, having put in their time and earned the right to see their home and loved ones, it occurred to Eliza that she had no idea how to contact Maria. She did not have the girl’s phone number or email address offhand, and to ask someone who might would be suspicious. There were only two reasons that someone of her status would have to contact an intern – either they were having an affair or Maria was going to be fired. Rather than raise concerns about either of those, Eliza swallowed her fears and decided to play the waiting game.

By the time seven o’clock fell, Eliza had managed to crack out one message to Senator Jefferson regarding one of his concerns about the agricultural industry. That was about the time when Maria Reynolds – no, Maria Lewis – walked in with uncomfortable glances to both sides and a gentle rap on the door. Eliza could feel her shaking like a fawn caught in the rapturous gaze of a wolf.

“Come in. Sit down.” Eliza’s voice exuded warmth and Maria’s shoulders dropped a few clicks in tension as she sat down in much the same manner she had the other day.

“James didn’t come home last night. Did you – can you –”

“I sent him away. He won’t be bothering you again. If he dares, I will take care of it in the most permanent way.”

Perhaps she should not have included that last part; Maria’s pupils dilated with fear at the suggestion, either of what would come down on her or what would come down on Eliza for it. Most of the time Eliza’s words were finely tempered, but sometimes they could get away from her, especially where certain topics were concerned.

“Thank you, ma’a—Governor Hamilton. But if you don’t mind me asking, why did you do this for me?”

“I would do it for anyone.”

“I just… I’m me. You have so much else to take care of, you shouldn’t be wasting your time on somebody like me.”

“The idea that someone of my status may only mingle with those not on their echelon of power except when it is politically convenient is one of the most damaging ideologies in my profession. Every person has an obligation to defend every other person to the best of their ability, and I have nothing but contempt for those who use their status as a way to was their hands of issues they deem of the common people.”

Maria nodded and opened and closed her mouth a few times before she found the courage to speak again. “The other night you told me… you told me you knew what I was going through, or something of that sort. I hope I’m not intruding if I…”

She trailed off, letting Eliza fill in the gaps. Eliza knew she would have to work on that, not just to advance the girl’s career and set her up for later success but to make her feel more comfortable in herself, to not be frightened of voicing her thoughts alone.

“You would not be intruding to ask, but I have a strict policy of keeping my personal and work lives separate. If you would be willing to discuss it, I would prefer somewhere more private.”

Maria looked down at the floor and smiled softly to herself. “Now that James no longer lives here, I suppose I’m allowed to have visitors again. If it’s not too much trouble, perhaps you could find some time to come over?”

“I would love to.”

“Thank you, Governor Hamilton. I can send you the address tomorrow, and you can tell me when you can come over, give me some time to clean up the place.” Her eyes seemed to sparkle for the first time since Eliza had talked to the girl, and it made Eliza’s heart warm to see how suddenly the change had started in her.

“I’d be delighted. Now speaking of home, you should go back. Get out of this dark office and enjoy the time to yourself.”

“What about you, Governor?”

“I’m afraid I didn’t get as much work done as I planned to. I’ll be here for a few more hours. Don’t worry about me.”

Maria seemed caught between wanting to follow orders and wanting to stay with her boss, maybe ask a question, get closer to the woman who had saved her, but she leaned towards the former. “Thank you, Governor. I’ll be seeing you this weekend.” She stood up, moved the chair back to its original place, and started to leave.

“And Maria?”

Maria stopped with a jolt and turned around.

“It will never be too much trouble.”


	4. the cellar door is an open throat

Maria's home was by no means a mansion, but it was better than Eliza had been expecting considering their financial situation. She lived in an apartment in Bed-Stuy, on the top floor of a building with no elevator. The inside was simple, with only a few pieces of furniture, but the walls were intact and it smelled nice. There was no evidence of mice or mold or other uninvited guests, and when Eliza climbed up the stairs she felt as if they would hold her weight.

When she knocked on the door, Maria cracked it open only a small bit at first with the chain still on, and Eliza's eyes flickered to the door. No eyehole. When Maria saw who was on the other side of the door, she took the chain off and let Eliza inside the apartment.

Maria dressed simply in all things, wearing light-colored jeans and a plain black t-shirt today, and Eliza felt less terrible about not noticing her earlier. If it weren't for the distinctiveness of her face, she would have blended into the crowd by nature of her dress and the submissive way in which she carried herself.

Eliza, on the other hand, had to keep her professional appearance at all times, and she was still dressed in a full suit and heels. She had learned the hard way that everything about her appearance would be scrutinized by the slavering masses of her political enemies and their publications. It had been years since she had worn sneakers out of doors, or allowed her hair to be anything other than pristine. It was a prison she wished no other person would have to endure. In her hands Eliza held a bouquet of flowers she had purchased from an eighty-year-old widow named Abigail at the farmer’s market that morning when she was looking for a gift.

“Your home is lovely,” Eliza said as she walked in, and Maria’s mouth hung slightly open. “Do you want me to take my shoes off?”

It took Maria a moment to respond. “I don’t mind either way.” With some reluctance, she took the flowers out of Eliza’s hand and turned them over in her own. “You really didn’t have to, Governor Hamilton.”

“I know that when someone moves out your home can feel empty, and I thought it would be nice of you to have something around to keep the place more full. I wasn’t sure you were allergic to cats or dogs, so I went with something a little lower-maintenance.” Eliza smiled at her own joke. She never laughed aloud anymore, for fear of how it would be warped. “Do you have a vase?”

“Yes, Governor, I can get it right out.” Maria turned to the kitchen to pull out a glass vase with no distinct shape to it. The cabinet from which she procured it looked oddly empty, and Eliza couldn’t help but speculate if it had always been that way or if glass was the first to be broken when things became heated between the couple. As Maria did this, Eliza looked around and noted just how bare the area looked, with only one couch and one chair in the living room, no television or floor lamp. She also noted how pristine everything was, as if it had been scrubbed clean; she couldn’t remember if Maria’s knees had been bruised the day before, when she was wearing a skirt and pantyhose, and now it would be uncouth to ask.

“I’m sorry it doesn’t look much like a place to live, but it feels more like a home than it did. James left a lot behind and I’ve been selling it off; I’ll be able to pay a few months’ worth of bills from what I have so far.” Maria looked towards the living room, seemed surprised that there was no clear place to put the flowers there, and settled for leaving the vase on the kitchen counter. “I was surprised how fast he left, really.”

“I’m very convincing.” Eliza stood, straight-backed, still lingering near the doorway because she had not been given permission to further advance. The last thing she wanted was to intrude upon a space that was just being made holy again, but when Maria picked up on this her skin prickled.

“Would you like me to give you a tour?”

“That would be wonderful.” Maria smiled for the first time since Eliza had come to the door, and she began to lead Eliza through the apartment. It was small, as most apartments in New York City tended to be; even Eliza’s townhouse was nothing compared to the sprawling buildings some of her friends from college had set up in the suburbs when they made the choice to enter a domestic life, free of politics and controversy. There was no guest room, and only one bathroom, which looked especially barren. There was a crack in the bathroom mirror, and Eliza chose to ignore it.

The bedroom was the closest thing to a mess that the apartment had to offer, with a pile of men’s clothing in the corner. “You’re welcome to sit on the bed if you would like. I still don’t know if I should sell it or not. I don’t need all the space, but if I get a twin I would feel like I was in college again.”

Eliza sat down on the bed, felt the springs protest as she did. Maria stayed standing in the doorway, hands uncomfortably jammed in her back pockets. “You’re welcome to sit too. Please, this is your furniture,” Eliza said, and she moved to jump up. There was no superior and inferior here, and if there was it would be Eliza as the guest. Maria’s mouth twitched, but she came to sit next to Eliza on the bed, keeping her posture as perfect as she could.

“Governor Hamilton –”

“Elizabeth Schuyler.” Eliza’s voice was kind but firm. She hated the way that her title had been linked to a man who had no say in it. She reached her hand out to touch Maria’s, gently placing it atop the intern’s. Maria looked at her with large, frightened brown eyes, while Eliza stared straight ahead, past the door and towards the hallways light switch. “I won’t pretend I know what it’s like to be physically abused. I do know what it’s like to have a man in your life who puts himself first in all things, who berates you for wanting something more. My husband was a writer, and his words could be so nice, but they turned sour so fast.” Eliza’s fingers worked their way between Maria’s. “I know about husbands who keep their wives on a metaphorical choke chain in a post in the rain while they run free to do whatever they want, because they see themselves as a master and their wife as an obedient servant.”

Eliza turned to meet Maria’s gaze, and Maria saw that her boss’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes were wet. “Even though I had no way of changing things, I still regret that I couldn’t stop this before it got to where it did. For either of us.”

Eliza leaned over to hug Maria, hold her close and protect her the way that she had tried to ever since they first spoke, and Maria could feel the governor’s heart galloping in her chest. At least, she thought she did; it may have been Maria’s own heart filled with butterflies at the proximity and the protection. Maria was the first to pull away, and Eliza put her hands on Maria’s cheeks, now wet with tears of gratitude. Maria leaned forward and their lips touched.

Maria was used to being handled roughly, a man who would grab her around the hips and pull her close, force his way through her lips. Eliza was different, so much softer and slower, waiting to slip her tongue past Maria’s lips and teeth, running her hand through Maria’s hair and gently enticing her closer before they pulled apart in a moment of mutual shame. Maria could not look Eliza in the eyes, and Eliza’s whole face flushed as she chewed on her lip.

“I think I should go now,” Eliza murmured, for once unsure of herself. Maria nodded, and Eliza said nothing as she picked herself off of the bed and left Bed-Stuy, leaving the door open behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an announcement!
> 
> My school runs an annual play writing competition where the winner receives $500 and a production of their work, which is amazing, BUT this means that has to be my main priority instead of any fics.
> 
> The deadline is October 15, so updates will be slow until then, and wish me luck!


	5. a bad dream shook me in my sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the radio silence. I submitted my play to the contest but I also had a few health scares, both physical and mental. I'm back to normal (or next to normal) now and ready to crack down on writing.

Sometimes Eliza wished she were unfeeling. Not necessarily psychopathic, a life devoid of empathy seemed no way to live, but there had to be something less intense than what she was. If she didn’t feel things as much as she did, she would be able to focus on her work instead of reading the same sentence over and over and over while thinking about what had happened with Maria.

She had to strike an odd balance on the campaign trail. It was the danger of being a woman running for office. She had to make sure that her maternal side came out, because a female candidate was more appealing as a mother than a strict teacher. At the same time, she had to tamper down her emotions so she would never be angry, never be the overemotional woman who would try to secede every time her menstrual cycle rolled around. She ended up coming off as someone who cared ferociously, who made her choices out of love and had nothing but the best intentions. Her sister Angelica had commented that it wasn’t far from the truth.

Eliza assumed, based on their previous interactions, that Maria would come by sometime around 7 or 8 at night, which would give her adequate time to get something done. If she had a time when she knew she would have to think about it, she could in theory put it aside until that time inched closer. What she was not expecting was Maria knocking on her door at ten in the morning, face contorted into that unique expression that means one is focusing all their willpower and not crying.

Eliza took one look at Maria standing there, quivering, and said, “Shut the door behind you.” It was not angry, it was not caring, it was a simple command that Maria obliged. Once the door clicked closed, something clicked off in Maria and she let her face fall into wracked sobs.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t have to be.”

“I invited you into my house and I took advantage of you.”

Without hesitation, Eliza stood up from her desk and walked to Maria, grabbing her hand with enough force to make Maria stop and look up, doeish eyes wide in wonder and terror as she tried to predict Eliza’s next move.

“I was the one who initiated it, and I was the one in the position of power. If there was any advantage being taken, it would be my fault and I would do whatever you wanted to make it up to you.”

“You don’t have to, Governor Hamilton.”

“I told you to call me Eliza.”

“Forgive me for not feeling comfortable enough to use the name yet. It’ll take a while.”

“There’s only one solution to that, you know.” Eliza broke into a soft smile, just a hint of her teeth showing. “We’ll have to get to know each other better.”

Maria didn’t say anything, but she did laugh once, which was more than Eliza was hoping she would get. It would be impossible to have a real conversation if she were so stuck in her own head that she wouldn’t listen to reason. In a way, it reminded Eliza of dealing with Alexander, although in not quite the same way. Where Maria would fall apart, Alex would get angry and irrational until one of them gave up and drove away for the night. When they came back the next morning, it would never be mentioned again. It may not have been the most functional form of arguing, but it kept things from getting worse.

Eliza kept her one hand on Maria’s, thumb rubbing over the knuckles, and moved the other one to Maria’s face, wiping away the tears and running her hand through Maria’s hair. “I do care for you, Maria, and I think you’re beautiful.”

“Do you think it’s wrong?” Maria could not bring herself to say what it was, and if she were being honest with herself she didn’t really know. She couldn’t define what crossed the line, where simple female friendship became something that would damage Eliza’s relationship or damager her political career. Maria would let herself be torn apart in the process, but the idea of something happening to Eliza because of Maria was too difficult to bear.

“I think that we’re two people who are attracted to each other, and that we are stopped by multiple obstacles of varying degrees.” While cheating on her husband would demolish her career, the idea of Governor Hamilton carrying on any type of affair with an intern, or even being in a relationship with another woman, would lose her a great deal of support. Not all of New York was the big city, and she was already unpopular upstate on the basis of her gender. At times like this she regretted going into a field where she had to alter her image and actions to be more attractive to a large number of people. She had wanted to change the world, but surely there were ways of doing that that didn’t involve turning into something other than herself.

“I also think that something like this is going to happen again if we don’t address it.”

“I can take a job somewhere else. It doesn’t even have to be in politics; I was a waitress in college, I can do that again.”

“With your talents, it’s already a crime that you’re only an intern. I can’t tell you what to do, but I can tell you that it would be a loss for all of us, none more than you.”

“So say I stay here. What then?”

“We could go through a painful period of forcing down said attraction until it naturally goes away and we can find a healthier balance. Or…”

“Or?”

Eliza eyed the closed door, remembering how thick it was and how well-trained her staff was, waiting patiently outside until her business was finished. Her right hand moved from Maria’s hair to the back of her neck and Maria leaned with it, up and into a kiss. Maria pulled her hand away from Eliza’s to wrap both arms around the governor’s neck. Even when their lips separated after a few seconds, their bodies remained stuck together. The fear in Maria’s eyes had dissipated, replaced by wonder and excitement, and Eliza allowed herself a full smile.

“Nobody has to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my writing, consider buying me a coffee at https://ko-fi.com/A1464EIS . College is not cheap or relaxing, and any less financial burden will help alleviate some of my stress.


End file.
